DEP Investigating Water Discharge In West Whiteland Township

WEST WHITELAND TOWNSHIP, PA — Drilling was ordered stopped this week along Shoen Road in West Whiteland Township, as residents await a determination from the state on what happened.

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has not yet determined if mud discharge along Shoen Road is an Inadvertent Return of drilling mud.

Residents of West Whiteland Township reported a mud discharge in the swale across the road from the pipeline drill site, on Aug. 8, alerting the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.

DEP Community Relations Coordinator Virginia Cain said on Friday, "We're still reviewing the data and expect to have a determination soon." The DEP said earlier this week that drilling had stopped at this site while the investigation is ongoing.

The department confirmed the Aug. 8 reports it received "of a discharge in a swale across the road from the drill site at 103 Shoen Rd."

"DEP responded, along with Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC), and conducted a field investigation which included testing of water to determine if the water coming from the ground contained drilling fluids that would constitute an Inadvertent Return (IR)."

An "inadvertent return" is industry terminology for accidents related to pipeline construction, particularly when drilling mud breaks out of containment.

Ginny Kerslake was one of the persons who made reports. She lives on Shoen Road and posted on social media Aug. 8. "At 1:40 p.m. I sent an email to Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection staff in charge of Mariner East, informing them that Sunoco's plan to handle a frac-out of drilling mud on our property was failing and instead of Sunoco stopping drilling as required or the DEP forcing them to, they all did NOTHING."

Kerslake wrote, "Two hours later there was a river of drilling mud flowing across our property."

Kerslake believes that while working on the pipeline along Shoen Road, Sunoco's workers have breached the aquifer. "Mud emerged from the ground while drilling on Saturday," she said. She reported that near her property, "water has been flowing back through the pilot hole and is being pumped 24/7 from drill pit."

The complaint is one among many in recent years as work on the Mariner East pipeline continues. The Mariner East II pipeline project is an expansion of the existing Sunoco Mariner East pipeline system.

According to DEP, Sunoco recently upgraded its existing Mariner East I pipeline to transport natural gas liquids from Ohio and the Pittsburgh area to its Marcus Hook Facility in Delaware County. More than 80 percent of the PA Pipeline Project will follow the same pipeline corridor as Mariner East I. The pipeline will traverse 17 counties in the southern tier of Pennsylvania.

Cain said the DEP investigation into the Shoen Road report (HDD 360) is in progress and the department is "still reviewing the data and expect to have a determination soon."

A day after Kerslake called the DEP, another incident was reported at the West Whiteland Township Apartments.

DEP said it investigated reports of water discharges at multiple areas in the West Whiteland Apartment Complex.

"DEP personnel walked the site to determine if the project was using approved Best Management Practices. In additional to responding to the site, as part of its ongoing investigation, DEP is currently reviewing permits and plans pertaining to this location to determine if acceptable erosion and sedimentation controls were being used."

A Inadvertent Return of drilling fluid was released at an Energy Transfer pipeline worksite at Marsh Creek State Park earlier this week. The separate incidents are each under DEP investigation.